The Chicago Bulls recently let go of star player Derrick Rose, who has since left to join the New York Knicks, and according to a report from ESPN, the team is keeping Jimmy Butler despite having a rough time with him last season. That being said, they are rebuilding the team and this may mean letting go of power forward Taj Gibson.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Bulls may be offering Gibson to several teams but it is speculated that they are mostly targeting the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves reportedly have a lot to gain by adding Gibson to their roster and the Bulls will have more money to spend on young new talent from free agency.
The report continues to point out that the Bulls may be targeting Ryan Anderson, an unrestricted free agent, but they may also be aiming to recruit Terrence Jones or Jared Sullinger. According to the report, Anderson is the best fit as Jones has a tendency to miss out on a few games while Sullinger's health and style may not fit well with the Bulls' fast-paced strategy.
Cheat Sheet also reports that while the Bulls have decided to keep Butler, it does not mean they will trade him out again if the free agency shifts around and younger players become more available. The report points out that the Bulls are interested in long-term improvement and letting go of Butler may be the way to do so.
Losing Butler and Gibson would be a big issue as the former is rated as one of the top shooting guards in the NBA and the team has no one to fill the role of the latter. However, both roles may be filled by a few players from free agency after some time and this is reportedly a risk the Bulls may have to take.
